Chet Ellsworth of Rapid City used the public-comment period at the Sept. 29 Pennington County budget meeting to raise concerns about a recent tax-increment financing (TIF) approval, audit deadlines and shifts in custodial responsibility for public records.

Why it matters: Public commenters can call attention to administrative procedures and impending audit requirements that may affect county risk ratings or the timing of official actions.

What the commenter said: Ellsworth identified himself as a TIF petitioner and said the board had waited until late in the budget process to address deadlines related to audits and other filings. He asserted that changes made in mid-September had transferred payroll and elections duties into a group under human resources and described that shift as a "separation of powers" concern for elected offices. He requested the commission review memos he cited (he referenced a memo by "Ms. Bancroft" dated 09/16/25) and provided printed materials to staff.

Board response: The chair asked staff to accept Ellsworth's handouts and the meeting proceeded. Commissioners did not take formal action on the allegations during the meeting; they treated the remarks as public comment for the record.

Caveat: The statements in this report are attributed to the speaker, Chet Ellsworth, and are his claims. The board did not make findings or take actions at the meeting that substantiate those claims; any review of audit status, separation-of-powers issues, or custody of records would be a separate administrative or legal process.

Ending: The commenter supplied materials to the commission office for review; commissioners did not act on the specific claims during the Sept. 29 meeting.